Mermaid_ A Twist on the Classic Tale - Carolyn Turgeon [73]
“We have tried to make it comfortable for you, Your Highness,” the servant said, stepping forward.
The guard took their things and led Margrethe and Edele inside and up a long stairway. At the top, they came upon a wooden door that opened into a large bedroom. The servant followed behind.
They walked in. There were shining silk curtains hanging about the bed. A window that looked out over the sea. A small fireplace, unlit, a wardrobe, and a table with chairs. A large chest at the foot of the bed.
The servant began unpacking their satchels, putting everything in its place. A woman walked in with a jug of wine and two glasses, a plate of bread and fish.
“The king has said you are to rest,” the guard said, “and then someone will be back to take you to him. I will be outside your door for the entirety of your stay, should you need anything.”
“Thank you,” Margrethe said, and then she and Edele were alone.
“It is like a prison here,” Edele said, flopping on the bed, “a beautiful one, but a prison nonetheless.”
Margrethe sat next to her, resisting the urge to cry.
“Let us rest, my friend,” Edele said, putting her arm around Margrethe’s shoulders. “This will all seem better once we are rested.”
Margrethe nodded. “This isn’t what I was expecting. But I was probably naïve to expect anything different. This is war, and I am the daughter of the enemy king.”
“You expected him to be here waiting for you.”
“Yes.”
“I know, I did as well.” Edele sighed and stood up, pacing the room. “The water is beautiful, though. Much more beautiful than at that horrible, gloomy convent.”
Margrethe smiled. “I told you, I liked it there.”
Edele shivered. “Maybe if I had met Rainer there, I would have liked it better, and be mooning about it now the way you are.”
“I am not mooning about it.”
“You’re so mad about this prince you can’t see straight. You’re risking everything to be with him. It’s like you think you’re in some ancient poem.”
“Edele, you know what is at stake here, for our kingdom. That is what I care about.”
“Yes, I know what it is you say,” Edele said, making a silly face, then reaching over to poke Margrethe’s side. “But I also know your heart, my friend.”
Margrethe sighed and lay back. “I am tired of arguing with you, Edele. You are even worse when you’re in love, you know that? I think we ought to get some rest. Especially you. I’m not sure you’ve slept at all the past two days.”
“These Southerners are incredibly good-looking,” Edele said, still at the window.
“I can’t believe you,” Margrethe said. “Madly in love and we’re here only two minutes before you start eyeing other men.”
“It’s not a man. A woman, walking by the water. Her hair is so blond it’s practically white.”
“Go to sleep,” Margrethe said, rolling her eyes. “You exhaust me.”
A FEW HOURS later, there was a tap on the door. Servants shuffled in, to bathe Margrethe and Edele in warm, perfumed water and dress them in splendid silk gowns. By the time the guard led them down the stairway to meet the king and queen, Margrethe was trembling with anxiety, but she held her head high. They walked past several rooms, through the great hall, and up another staircase, to where the king and queen sat on their thrones to hear matters of the kingdom. Outside the door, a throng of people waited to gain audience with the king. The room itself was filled with benches and guards.
Margrethe looked around for the prince the moment they set foot in the room. When she saw he was not there, she tried to hide her disappointment before turning all her attention to the king and queen, smiling in her most gracious manner.
The king was old but much more kindly seeming than her own father. Even in his elaborate crown, holding his jeweled scepter, he seemed more grandfatherly than regal, with his long, gray beard and hair. Next to him, the queen was far grander, striking, with her hair that had been dyed a deep black, her red lips and bright purple robes. She was dripping in jewels, from her forehead to her ears to her neck.
The king’s eyes